Ireland’s T20 World Cup Opener against India Set in New York
Ireland is set to kick off their T20 World Cup campaign by facing India in New York on June 5th. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the first-round groups, match dates, and venues for the tournament, revealing that Ireland will also compete against Pakistan, USA, and Canada in Group A.
Heinrich Malan, Ireland’s head coach, expressed his excitement about the challenging group, stating that playing against India and Pakistan in particular will attract large crowds. He also noted the added spice of facing one of the co-hosts on their home soil and the challenge of playing against Canada, who have a strong reputation in this format.
Malan acknowledged that no match at a World Cup is easy, emphasizing the competitiveness of their group. However, he mentioned that Ireland may have an advantage with the support of the enormous Irish ex-pat population in the US.
While the T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA, all of Ireland’s first-round matches will be held in the US, with two in New York and two in Florida.
Below are the fixtures for Ireland’s first-round matches:
– June 5th: India vs Ireland (New York, 10am)
– June 7th: Ireland vs Canada (New York, 10am)
– June 14th: USA vs Ireland (Florida, 10am)
– June 16th: Ireland Men vs Pakistan Men (Florida, 10am)
The tournament features four groups of five teams in the first round, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the second round group stage. From there, the top two teams will move on to the semi-finals, with the final taking place in Barbados on June 29th.
Before the tournament, Ireland will also play two warm-up matches against yet-to-be-confirmed opponents and venues.
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